Author: Yann Martel

Date Published: 2001

Meaning of the Title: It is not The Life of Pi because no particular life is supported. It is about the multiplicity of life and, in the end, the reader is left to choose which of Pi's lives to believe.

Setting: India, Canada, Pacific Ocean, Mexico

Genre: Novel

Protagonist: Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi)

Antagonist: Richard Parker; nature; internal struggle

Mood: Wondrous, spiritual, desperate, satisfied

Point of View: First person, changing from fictional author to Pi

Tense: This story is written in past tense.

Climax: When Pi tells a second story and challenges the Japanese men to choose the better story

Outcome: Both men admit the first story is better

Major Theme: The importance of telling/living the better story

Minor Themes: Science coexisting with religion; religious syncretism